A 'Thank you' and almost an apology
by 68hawkeyefan
Summary: Clint Barton and Loki meet for the first time after the battle of New York. I don't own the Marvel Cinema Universe.


**I read some time ago a fabulous Meta which mentioned something I did say in a comment I wrote and so I did get the idea for this story.**

 **I wrote this story before I saw Infinity War.**

 **I never did sympathise with Loki very much but in 'Thor: Ragnarök' I really liked him for the first time and found him redeemable.**

 **For me Tony Stark is no longer redeemable.**

 **If someone is interested the Meta is called "Five Reasons why Tony Stark is more of a villain in the MCU than Loki".**

For the first time all who wanted to fight Thanos were in one room. You could cut the tension with a knife, especially Loki did get more than a few distrustful looks.

Remarkably it was Hawkeye who made the first step. He did go to Loki and hold out his hand. With a little hesitation and not little amazement Loki took the hand.

"I wanted to thank you", said Hawkeye sincerely.

There was a lot murmuring from all who knew what Loki had done to Clint.

"You want to thank me?" asked Loki disbelieving. "For what then? I mean you have more reason than anyone here to hate me, to punch me and I wouldn't even hold that against you."

"Simple. You were two days in my mind and you knew all my secrets, specifically one, and you never used it against me and you never told a soul about it."

"You mean your …", with a look at the other people Loki broke up.

"You can say it. Thanks to fucking Tony Stark who ratted my family out, everyone knows about them. Why didn't you use it against me?"

"You loved them so much and you did all you could to keep them safe. Like I told you, you have heart and I couldn't break it.

And as another fact, I wouldn't go after the wives and children of my adversaries, only a coward and bastard does that."

"A perfect description from Tony Stark", said Clint nastily. "It seems only he and Hydra think of it as a legitimate course of action."

"But why did you told Stark? I mean I know to which lengths you went to protect them and to keep them a secret. To tell someone who is so erratic and unreliable as he is such a secret was not very smart."

"You can say that again. After Stark backstabbed us and created Ultron we had to lay low and so I brought the Avengers to the only safe place we had left. I told them my biggest secret and I only asked them to never tell anyone about my family.

After Stark backstabbed and betrayed us again with the Sokovia Accords who were created to put the Avengers under control for a mistake only Stark did, Steve called me to help him stop five super soldiers who were capable to create damage on a big scale. With the blessing of my wife I did go.

After I and a few others were captured to help Steve and Bucky escape so that they could fulfil our mission we were sent to the Raft without legal process or a lawyer. Stark came to the Raft and did nothing to help us, oh no, he did make our situation even more hazardous for us."

"How so?" Loki asked interested. He knew that he wasn't the only one Clint told the story for. He admired the way Clint warned all the other participants of the coming fight to watch their back against Stark and what betrayal and backstabbing he was capable of. His hawk was as cunning and dangerous as ever.

It always wondered him why all people permanently underestimated Clint Barton, only because he had no super powers. This was the man who almost brought down the helicarrier singlehandedly and where it had needed the combined talents from Steve Rogers, Tony Stark and others to keep the helicarrier in the air.

Loki knew that without Barton's unwilling help he would never had come as far as he had with his conquering plans.

"Oh, first he told Ross and everyone, who was in hearing range about my family. And he make it clear it was because I didn't chose his side and he wanted me to punish for it.

What did you think, how high was the chance that someone from Hydra was under those who were listening or that one of the security guards wants to earn a little extra money with this information?

Then next he goes to Sam and scrambles the sound. Why didn't do it sooner?

He gets from Sam the information where Steve is because he wanted to break the Accords which he signed 24 hours before on his own free will.

We didn't want to sign the Accords because they take away the human rights of enhanced people and were thrown in the Raft for this 'crime'.

Stark goes and tries to murder 2 innocent men because they disagreed with him and where is his punishment?

But so is Stark, if goes something wrong because of his actions or choices, example Ultron, it is always the culpability of others and he uses his connections to the government to escape the consequences. If all goes right it is always because of him and his 'genius'. He is such a loser!"

Loki laughed. "Yes, he has not much common sense. What happened next?"

"As soon as Stark was gone Sam and I were taken out of our cells and tortured because of Stark.

Sam because Ross wanted to know what he had told Stark. Me, because they wanted to know where my family was. As if I would ever betray my family to someone like Ross.

I'm sure that was Stark's plan. He wanted me and Sam tortured first to punish us and second so that Ross was occupied with us and Stark had enough time to go after Rogers and Barnes without consequences for himself."

"Then he is really a coward", said Loki and looked in the faces of all people in the room.

He wasn't very surprised that the suspicious looks were no longer directed at him.

Now it was Stark who was scrutinized and in the gazes was not only distrust but contempt too.

And Loki was the opinion that Stark more than deserved it.


End file.
